If any duck has to take credit for being the most well know and most commonly found then it is this one, the Mallard Duck ( Anas Platyrhynchos). In India it is a Winter visitor and mostly found in North west India and very rarely South of Mumbai.In the Photographs above the Lower one is a drake while the upper ones are female ducks. Both were photographed at Eton.
The Mallards belong to the family of dabbling ducks; Dabblers feed by tipping tail up to reach aquatic plants, seeds and snails. They require no running start to take off but spring directly into flight.
The male stays with a Female until she lays eggs, after which a Male leaves her and moults into the plumage resembling a female and then almost three months later re moults into his original plumage (1) . A large percentage of Mallards show homosexual behavior, the percentage could be anything from 17-19% ( especially young ducks deprived of females during imprinting period)(2), instances of necrophilia are also noticed in Mallards.
Source (1) : Popular hand book of Indian birds - Hugh Whistler
(2) : Homosexuality Re-examined. by D.J. West, London: Gerald Duckwort & Co. Ltd, 1977.
good shot..
ReplyDeleteGotta love a good duck picture! Gorgeous colours.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great duck picture! The male is the more distinctively colored of the mallards. Its iconic green head sits atop a white neckband that sets off a chestnut-colored chest and gray body. Mallards prefer calm, shallow sanctuaries, but can be found in almost any body of freshwater across asia. They are also found in saltwater and brackish water and are commonly found in wetlands.
ReplyDeleteYeah, ya gotta love a good duck photo. Even when it's a photo of geese.
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